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The Pull List #98 – March 15, 2017

A weekly column in which Jake gives short blurbs about the comics he’s picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such tremendous undertakings, so…yeh, there’s that.

WHAAAAT? Jumping in the middle of a series? And one previously explored and dropped?? Well, it was a light week, as you’ll see preceding this, and Aquaman made it on thanks to being a start of a new arc and having a decent preview. It also is another example of a perfect jumping on point in a long-running series. Literally, if you know who Aquaman is, you know enough to pick up this issue, because Abnett explains who the Aquamarines are (a stupidly named military unit made up a were-sealife (just adhoc’d that) that once tried to kill Aquaman) and what Dead and Strange Water are (a aqua-teleporting Naga-looking former human and the alien, mysterious substance that created it) without the issue feeling overwrought (unlike this sentence). The issue has a very Aliens feel to it but with enough Aquaman-flair to make the beats fun, although not wholly unique. Briones and Eltaeb dole out a good deal of superhero flair, which is a questionable editorial decision, given the story’s obvious horror themes. But, despite this, the art is excels in its own right. There’s enough in this issue to pique my interest, so expect to see Aquaman on the list again.

WHAAAAT? Jumping in the middle of a series? And one previously explored and dropped?? Well, it was a light week, as you’ll see preceding this, and Trinity made it on thanks to being (what I thought was) a start of a new arc and having gorgeous art. Also, Cullen Bunn. Trinity #7 tells the story of Lex Luthor, now a Superman wannabe to further his own ends, Ra’s Al Ghul and Circe being called to a mystical site of power by a mysterious force. It’s well-scripted and the villains’ inner monologues are entertaining and enlightening. But really, what sells the issue is the gorgeous art. The team takes full advantage of the creepy crypt setting and the magic and fight scenes are well drawn and colored. While it doesn’t seem like this is the direct start of a new arc given the prelude to the next issue, it’s still an enjoyable read and well worth the money.

WHAAAAT? Jumping in the middle of a…Oh wait, we don’t need to do this for this one. Welcome to Batwoman: World Tour. Kate Kane has been tasked with tracking down the last remnants of monster venom (that stuff from that Night of the Monster Men crossover) across the globe with a super tech-out yacht and Julia Pennyworth, Alfred’s daughter. Unfortunately, shadows from Batwoman’s past keep cropping up. The writing is tight and concise and does a substantially amount of world building in a small amount of space. Epting’s art is gorgeous, ably shifting from dynamic superheroics, to moody scenes from Kate’s past. Batwoman is a strong start to what should be a compelling series.